Guitars replace them kick-ass bagpipes, vocal harmonies still stacked to the ceiling. Pure guitar pop. I kinda dig some of the songs, but I miss the bagpipes.
If you remixed the Chili Peppers’ first album and added scratching and funky samples and replaced Anthony with Mike Patton, you’d end up with Trapped Instinct.
The Bottle Rockets may sound a little too reminiscent of middle-aged mom heartthrob rock, e.g., the Bruces Hornsby and Springsteen. Look a little deeper.
Space Needle are not boring pop. They’re one of the most satisfying and challenging bands around, and if the pop’s there, it’s anything but ostentatious.
During an unpleasant portion of my life, I used to go to pretentious coffeehouses, clapping politely to the latest Dylan wanna-be singing “sensitive” songs.
Like a large jewelry box, The Valentine Singles contains four 45s. Woozy from umbrella-topped drinks but not tipsy enough to falter from perfect elegance feel.
All 12 songs meld big ’90s guitarrorism, organic samples, and an obsessive-compulsive attention to detail with bright harmonies and indelible choruses.